Chapter 497: Delivering a message

Outside Mount Luofu, there were countless Taoist temples, all gathered around it.

In one of these Taoist temples, an Old Taoist suddenly sighed.

The young Disciple who was practicing nearby heard this and said, "Huh? Master, what are you talking about? Digging graves? Digging whose graves?"

The Old Taoist sighed, "Digging the graves of Mount Luofu. I don't know who is so audacious. That place is overrun with demons and ghosts. If one hasn't condensed a Yang Spirit, just entering it is extremely dangerous. But how rare are Yang Spirit Practitioners? I really don't know what to say."

"Yang Spirit Practitioner…" The young Disciple who was practicing couldn't help but let his mind wander upon hearing this.

A Yang Spirit Practitioner, ah. It was said that even Master hadn't reached this level. Master had only just condensed a Divided Soul, and it hadn't even reached pure Yang. He still needed thirty to fifty years of arduous cultivation to completely transform his Yin Spirit into a Yang Spirit.

This was no ordinary difficulty. It required tempering one's spirit little by little, condensing the Spirit Soul, and transforming the Spirit Soul from Yin to Yang.

After a person dies, their Spirit Soul goes directly to the underworld, which shows that the Spirit Soul itself is purely Yin. What kind of perseverance does it take to temper the Spirit Soul into pure Yang, to not fear sunlight, and not be afraid of wind and thunder?

Just thinking about it felt terrifying.

And inside Mount Luofu… only Yang Spirit Practitioners could venture in, because there were too many demons, ghosts, and monsters. It was said that there were countless Yin ghosts inside, and one could even encounter Yin Messengers if they entered at night. It was truly terrifying. So, the cultivators in the outer circle all knew not to casually venture in. Even if they wanted to collect Spiritual Springs and Spiritual Plants, they had to do so during the day when Yang Qi was strong, and proceed in groups, otherwise it would be very easy to get trapped.

It was unknown what was entrenched inside that could gather so many Yin ghosts. Could there be a Ghost King inside?

To this young Disciple, Mount Luofu was synonymous with danger. He also didn't know why Master insisted on living here. Perhaps it was because, despite the danger, there were many Spiritual Plants and Spiritual Springs produced inside? Was it convenient for his Alchemy?

As the young Disciple's mind wandered and he fantasized, suddenly, a whisk struck down, hitting him hard on the backside, making him jump up in pain and hop around wildly.

The Old Taoist put away his whisk and said, "Your mind is restless, you can't even control your thoughts. What kind of Dao are you cultivating? Get up, calm down and circulate your Qi again. Otherwise, if you go off track, a day of wasted practice is minor. If you injure your Meridians, you won't be able to cultivate for four or five months, then you'll know what 'regret it deeply' means."

The young Disciple quickly got up. He also knew how big of a taboo it was to be distracted during cultivation. He quickly bowed, "Thank you, Master. I was just thinking about something and got lost in thought for a moment."

"Thinking about something? What?" the Old Taoist asked.

The young Disciple scratched his head and said, "I just don't know. The Yin Qi around Mount Luofu is quite heavy. Although there are some Heaven And Earth Treasures, after all, Yin ghosts run rampant at night. It's really not a good place to live. Master, why do we have to settle here?"

When this topic came up, the Old Taoist seemed a little nostalgic. He recalled, "In the past, Mount Luofu wasn't like this. When I first joined the sect, I often went to Qingyang Rock, and the Yele Cave below it. Immortals from Mount Luofu often lectured there, and I often heard Immortal music there."

The young Disciple was astonished and quickly asked, "Ah? Are there really Immortals in Mount Luofu? Where did they go then?"

The Old Taoist answered calmly, "It was a few years ago, Mount Luofu collapsed, splitting into twenty-seven places, destroying civilian houses, burying fields and streams, and overflowing with mountain water, drowning over a thousand people. All the Immortal Caves collapsed. The Rhinoceros Pond, Phoenix Valley, and Phoenix Bathing Pond outside were all destroyed. The Immortals who used to lecture to the public also disappeared."

"Since then, the Immortals of Mount Luofu have vanished, and those Yin ghosts emerged. That's why this vicinity has become what it is now. To speak of the past, those were truly good days! With Immortals lecturing, if one was clever enough, they might even be accepted into the sect and truly become an Immortal. The Spiritual Qi here was abundant, and there was no danger whatsoever. It was truly…" the Old Taoist recalled.

The old days were truly good.

What a pity, the young brats nowadays don't have the chance to witness it.

The Old Taoist shook his head, only feeling pity for himself.

Back then, he had already been accepted as a Named Disciple by an Immortal Master of Mount Luofu, but he hadn't had time to go to the mountain gate to formally acknowledge him as Master.

But then one day, he discovered… all the living people on Mount Luofu had disappeared, and Yin ghosts ran rampant, turning it into a desolate land, where only Yang Spirit Practitioners could come and go freely…

No, it couldn't be called freely. Yang Spirit Practitioners could also get injured, or even die inside. One could only say they could walk around inside.

What a pity.

That Immortal Master had said that as long as he condensed a Yang Spirit and reached what was called… an eighth-rank? He could become a Named Disciple and listen to lectures outside the hall.

At that time, he had asked the Immortal Master what an eighth-rank was, and the Immortal Master said he would tell him next time he came for the formal lecture.

Unfortunately, the next time he went, Mount Luofu was still there, but the people were gone. Besides the term 'eighth-rank,' he knew nothing else, just like those outside.

Now, he had accumulated enough foundation and condensed his Yang Spirit, but he wondered if he could ever see the Immortal Master again?

While thinking these thoughts, the Old Taoist began to urge his young Disciple again, telling him to calm down and quickly practice, as today's lessons could not be neglected.

This Disciple's talent was excellent. With his guidance, he would likely be able to condense a Yin Spirit with at most ten years of arduous cultivation. By then, he would also be able to fly through the heavens and travel thousands of miles, no longer needing his supervision.

As the Old Taoist thought this, he suddenly saw a magpie flying abruptly from afar, straight towards them.

However, this magpie flew stiffly and appeared dull, lacking any spiritual essence, as if it were foolish.

Seeing this, the Old Taoist shook his head slightly, but still extended his hand.

The magpie flapped its wings and flew sluggishly onto his hand, then, as if deflated, it directly slumped down and turned into a paper bird.

Upon closer inspection, it was a paper bird folded from a yellow talisman paper.

"Poor craftsmanship, yet trying to imitate others by turning talisman paper into beasts. Truly shameful," the Old Taoist said, unfolding the paper bird.

After unfolding it, there was actually a letter written inside.

The Old Taoist began to read, but as he read, his expression suddenly became serious.

Among the thousands of Taoist temples in the outer perimeter, there were a few Yang Spirit Practitioners. It was said that they had all received secret teachings from Mount Luofu and were indebted to them, which was why they remained here.

This letter was sent by these true Yang Spirit Practitioners to everyone, presumably all Taoists who had condensed a Divided Soul would receive it.

The letter stated that someone had secretly entered Mount Luofu earlier. They initially thought it was just passing through, but now, they discovered that the three individuals were ransacking the ruins within Mount Luofu, not even sparing graves, and even taking away skeletons.

The letter stated:

"This lay practitioner possesses the virtue of talent and the Dao, willing to live in seclusion in the mountains without rising to prominence, which shows his ambition. However, today's events, this lay practitioner should have witnessed."

"Mount Luofu's grace in educating us is profound. Its immense benevolence and favor have permeated all directions. We, who have received the blessings of Luofu, should naturally bow and serve, as if revering precious jade. Now, there are wicked individuals, arrogant and presumptuous, like owls spreading their wings, and vile creatures still harboring pig-like ambitions, who dare to excavate its ruins and disturb its tranquility. They should be punished, and one or two of the most heinous among them should be chosen and executed to serve as a warning, so that in the future, cunning villains will be deterred and disperse on their own."

"If we take no action this time, it is certain that in the future, there will be overwhelming incursions. One must know that a raging river begins with a trickle, and a spark has the ferocity to start a prairie fire, spreading from tiny beginnings. Prevention must be early. Now, listening among the various Taoist temples, the momentum can also be described as surging and fiery. If there is no indication, I fear that there will be endless troubles in the future, and many will imitate them. By then, how can we face the grace of the Immortal Masters of Mount Luofu, and how can you and I have the face to cultivate their methods?"

"We, humble villagers, reflecting on the grace of Mount Luofu's teachings, should have sacrificed our very bones, yet we are incapable of repaying it. Now, faced with such an event, how can we consider anything else?"

"We hope that this lay practitioner will join the multitude. As the saying goes, people build embankments to ward off raging currents. This is a matter that you and I should bear, and it must not be refused. If you intend to, simply draw a circle and send the paper back."

The meaning of the letter was simple.

These Yang Spirit Practitioners had also noticed that someone was digging up graves on Mount Luofu, even exhuming human remains. Various Spiritual Plants, Spiritual Veins, and Spiritual Springs were not spared either, a pure three-foot excavation, leaving nothing behind.

Therefore, this behavior was too arrogant, simply 'arrogant and presumptuous, like owls spreading their wings, and vile creatures still harboring pig-like ambitions.' We, who have received the grace of Mount Luofu, should unite and drive out these thieves. If necessary, killing one or two is also acceptable. This will scare some people and also deter some cunning scoundrels within our own ranks.

If we don't do this, it means everyone can ignore it. Then, what if outsiders continue to come in the future, or even these Taoist temples within our own ranks develop this idea and run in to dig graves every day?

That would truly lead to endless troubles, and many would imitate them. Once this precedent is set, there will be no end to it. We, who have received the grace of Mount Luofu, how can we sit by and watch such a thing happen? As the saying goes, people build embankments to ward off raging currents. We must stop this matter. If you agree, just draw a circle on the paper and send it back.

After reading the letter, the Old Taoist was silent for a moment.

The few people who passed by earlier, able to move so freely in the core area of Mount Luofu, where Yin ghosts ran rampant, must have a high level of cultivation, probably also at the Yang Spirit Practitioner level.

To be honest, he didn't really want to go. Now he had a solid foundation, and with continuous effort, his Yang Spirit would naturally become pure Yang in a few decades. There was no need to take risks. Moreover, his Disciple had just started. Going on an adventure… was it really a good idea?

But the letter clearly stated: "We, humble villagers, reflecting on the grace of Mount Luofu's teachings, should have sacrificed our very bones, yet we are incapable of repaying it. Now, faced with such an event, how can we consider anything else?"

These words were actually quite well-said.

After much thought, the Old Taoist suddenly stood up and said to the young Disciple who was practicing, "You should temporarily suspend your practice for the next few days to avoid making mistakes. You are still in the foundation-building stage, and problems are difficult to remedy, which would lead to even more trouble."

The young Disciple was surprised, "Not practice? Then what do I do?"

"Go find somewhere to play by yourself. Your Master is going on a long trip and will be back in a few days," the Old Taoist impatiently waved his hand at his Disciple.

As he spoke, he took out the vermilion brush used for drawing talismans, drew a circle on the paper, then folded it into a paper bird. A stream of clear Qi emerged from his chest and abdomen, and with the operation of a spell, he touched the paper. The paper bird transformed into a vibrant, graceful oriole, indistinguishable from a real one, even chirping. It was countless times better than the dull magpie from before.

The Old Taoist's display made his Disciple's eyes widen.

This was true Immortal magic?

Wow! How amazing!

"Master, when can I learn this move! After I get used to meditating?" the young Disciple quickly asked.

"Aiming too high! You first learn not to doze off when meditating!" The Old Taoist struck the young Disciple with a whisk, sending him jumping out and scrambling out the door.

Seeing his Disciple leave, the Old Taoist sighed and tossed the oriole into the sky.

Hope nothing goes wrong.

— — — — — — — — — —

In Mount Luofu, Li Qi was excavating a Spiritual Vein.

A Spiritual Vein is a special resource, a regional characteristic produced when a certain Qi is highly concentrated.

Just like ancient battlefields and mass graves, where Yin Qi is too heavy and concentrated, it's easy to form a Yin Qi Spiritual Vein, indicating that a massive amount of Yin Qi is gathered here. For cultivators who need Yin Qi, it's more convenient to collect this Qi here.

The appearance of a Spiritual Vein means that this place has high-purity, high-quality Qi, which can be easily collected. For low-rank cultivators, especially those at the ninth-rank who need Qi to solidify their foundation, it is particularly useful, as it can greatly shorten their cultivation and tempering time.

After all, not having to refine Qi oneself, but directly using existing Qi, saves a lot of time.

However, Li Qi was already at the sixth-rank, so Spiritual Veins were basically useless to him now. Currently, he was collecting Spiritual Veins mainly for income.

Li Qi waved his hand, collecting all the Qi from these Spiritual Veins at once, condensing them into Qi beads, and then putting them into his mustard seed bag.

After extracting all the Qi, Li Qi stomped on the ground, leaving a mark.

He had just collected a Wood Qi Spiritual Vein, and it had nurtured many Spiritual Plants due to the high concentration of Wood Qi, including a seventh-rank Luofu Bamboo.

This was a type of bamboo unique to Mount Luofu, towering like the sky, with thirty-nine segments. It was said that one segment could be used as a boat, and it had a wide range of uses. The people of Mount Luofu liked to use this bamboo to make steamers.

Taking this back, the food steamed in it should make many surviving Disciples of Mount Luofu feel nostalgic.

After making the mark, Li Qi rushed to the next location without stopping.

His workload was very small because he had already ordered the mountain spirits and water monsters of this place to do the work. Only those things that the mountain spirits and water monsters couldn't handle, such as Spiritual Veins and certain dangerous areas, would be marked for him, and he would personally deal with them.

Three or four hours had passed since they first separated. He figured that in another day, everything in Mount Luofu, except for the central area, should be thoroughly searched.

As for the central area, he would go in after finishing these tasks, because Li Qi's sixth sense told him that the central area might be quite dangerous, so it was better to be careful.

While working, Li Qi suddenly looked into the distance, in the direction of Old Ma.

What? Are they fighting?

Thank you, brothers, for your blessings. I feel refreshed after a day of rest.